Sol wasn't entirely sure where he was at that moment, other than somewhere in that vast expanse between sleep and wake, the place where dreams often take their lucid, visual form. At least, he assumed it was a dream, because if this strange figure with a greenish tint and a clownish smile was supposed to scare him, it wasn't doing a very good job.

"Ahhh, I wonder if you'll be able to change anything?"

The entity spoke. Sol wasn't ready to call it a person. More like some kind of high-spirited ghost-thing. Either way, something about this entity's smile just got on Sol's nerves.

"Just wanna have a chat with you, interloper. No need to get so worked up, though even if you were, you don't seem to be in a position to do much about it."

"What do you want?"

"Well, let's just say I have a business proposition for you: There's a rather ill-tempered dumbass by the name of Ragna the Bloodedge. Heard of him? White hair, heterochromatic eyes, red coat, carries a giant butcher knife of a sword around? Didn't think so. After all, you're not from around here, right? You couldn't last a few seconds against that shitty vampire girl, what makes me think you can beat him? I guess it doesn't really matter."

Sol tried to grab the ghost-thing, but his hand went right through its neck.

"Ah, perhaps you both have something in common after all!" He spoke in a jovial, high-pitched tone, as if this was all an amusing joke to him. "Anyways, within his right arm, he holds a fragment of the Azure Grimoire. I need you to bring that arm into the main Library of Kagutsuchi."

"Why should I help you?" Ragna snarled. "Every goddamn creature I've run across ever since I somehow ended up here has tried to eat me or kill me, how are you any different?"

"Oh right, I suppose you're not the type of goody two-shoes who would just do it out of the kindness of his heart. Well, if you can bring me what I ask, I can use the power of the Grimoire to bring you back home to wherever it is you come from."

"Do you still need it attached to this Ragna guy?"

The ghost actually laughed at that statement, "Oh, I already like your style, Mr. Bad Guy. To answer your question, I suppose it doesn't really matter whether or not Ragna is still attached to that arm, so long as you can bring it down to the lowest level of the Library. Do this, and I will be able to find you a way back home."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you'll have to find a way back on your own. And good luck with that."

"How do I even know I can trust you?"

"You don't, but if you are not up to the task, I can always find someone else. Kagutsuchi is a big city, full of people far less curious than you and willing to do it for less. You know what they say about curiosity, don't you?"

"It killed the cat?"

"No, I killed the cat. It just happened to be named Curiosity the day I did it." The ghost laughed out loud again. "But it's a decision I leave up to you, interloper. You can accept my offer, or you can be an idiot and decline. Either way, I'm getting what I want. I'm just offering you the opportunity to benefit as well."


"Miss Litchi!" Bang shouted as he kicked open the door with much force, "I, Bang Shishigami, have come to show you my compassionate need for…"

An eerie silence followed.

"Huh, I thought she would be in here…where could she have gone?"

"BURGLAR!" Bang heard a girl scream behind him, and then felt a large blunt impact against the back of his skull, knocking him out for a brief moment. "What did you do to my door?"

"Doctor! Calm down!" Another female voice cried out just as Bang drifted into unconsciousness, "They're probably just new patients!"

"You put the sign up that said we'd be back in five minutes, didn't you Linhua?"

"Oh yeah, I…sorry about that Doctor Ling."

"Guess it can't be helped." Litchi said, sending her Matenbou staff back to the pocket dimension from whence it came before looking at the two men lying on the ground. "Who do we have here? These two look vaguely familiar."

"I say we drag in the blonde one first." Linhua said as she grabbed the limp form of Ky Kiske by the arms. "At least he's kind of cute. Who's the other one?"

Litchi turned the supposed burglar over until she could see his face. It's him again? I could swear I took out a restraining order on that freak. Litchi briefly contemplated letting him lie on the doorstep as she helped Linhua carry the young blonde man onto a table. Damned Hippocratic Oath. "Okay Linhua, start taking off this guy's clothes, looks like he's got some serious burns that will leave big scars if we don't act fast."

"What about the other guy?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine." Litchi grabbed one of Bang's arms and slowly dragged him in, grunting in exertion. The man was heavier than he looked.

"Doctor, this man's saying something!" Litchi dropped Bang's arm next to a chair and shut the door as she ran over to the table.

"Dizzy, Dizzy, où êtes-vous? J'ai essayé de te sauverai de lui. Où pourriez-vous être Dizzy?"

"What's he saying?" Litchi asked, "It sounds like French."

"I don't know, I never studied that language," Linhua said, "but he keeps saying dizzy."

"Well, at least he's conscious."

"Ai-je réussir ou ai-je fait juste empirer les choses? Dites-moi Dizzy…"

"Can you hear me?" Litchi asked the blonde man, "Can you tell me your name? Why do you keep saying dizzy? Are you feeling dizzy right now?" Litchi snapped on some rubber gloves quickly and grabbed a tiny flashlight with one hand as she opened one of Ky's eyes with another. "Linhua, keep his head steady. If he took a blow to the head, we don't want it getting worse."

Linhua thought about pointing out the fact that the Doctor had just done that to Bang Shishigami with a magically-summoned staff, but she was too caught up in the moment to argue.

"Speak to me, tell me your name if you can hear me."

"Who am I?" Ky mumbled as his words switched back to English, "I'm Ky Kiske, who are you?"

"Call me Doctor Ling, and you're going to be all right. Just tell me what happened."

"Un gran…a big accident."

"What was this accident? How did you get all these burn marks on your clothes and skin?"

"I fought a man…called himself Bang or something. Carried a giant nail on his back."

Litchi shot the unconscious Bang Shishigami a dirty look, then turned back to Ky. "Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up in no time. You mentioned something about Dizzy?"

"Dizzy?" Ky's eyes opened up wide as he tried to sit up on the bed. "Where is she? Is she…" Ky slapped a hand to his head as he suddenly felt a strong rush of vertigo.

"Careful!" Linhua shouted, "You're in no condition to move right now."

"I have to find her." Ky mumbled. "I was supposed to be the one to protect her from That Man, and then something happened. A big flash of light, some form of magic I hadn't seen before, and everyone, everyone was…"

"Ow, what happened?" Bang rubbed the back of his head as he stood up. "I think someone tried to ambush me as I came in here. Are you alright, Miss Litchi?"

"Bang, what are you doing?" Litchi pointed an accusatory finger at him, "Did you beat up this man?"

"My sweet Miss Litchi, how you show such skill for treating the wounded, even if they are an enemy! Such beautiful compassion, such wonderful skill, I am honored to…"

Litchi cocked an eyebrow, "Are you making fun of me?"

"Of course not Miss Litchi, I simply wished to tell you that…"

Litchi grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down instructions for Bang to be given a giant jar worth of acetaminophen. "Here, just take this to the nearest pharmacy and get out of here. You'll be fine."

"But Miss Litchi…"

"I have other patients with real problems to attend to! Now get out!"

"But…"

"Out! Out! Out!" Litchi shoved Bang out the door and slammed it shut.

Bang took a look at the doctor's prescription he was handed, and then spoke to the closed door of Litchi's health clinic. "Oh Miss Litchi, I understand you are busy, and do not worry, your secret love note will not go unnoticed! I shall return another day and sweep you off your feet! For I, Bang Shishigami, believe it is written in the stars themselves that we are meant to be together!"

Across the street, a young boy tugged on his mom's skirt and asked her, "Mommy, why is that old scruffy man yelling at a door?"

The mom had no answer.

Somewhere on the higher levels of Kagutsuchi, Noel had finished the drink that her former mentor had given her, and then another, and then another.

"Wow…guess you've never had that much to drink in your life have you?" Colton mused.

"SHUT UP!" Noel shouted as she finished off a third rum and coke, "I dunno why anyone drinks this stuff, makes your head all fuzzy."

"Kid, you've had enough."

"Did I ever tell you that time…" Noel sniffed, her face was red and she seemed on the verge of tears. "There was this cute boy in my class, and I spent days trying to think of the right thing to say to him…"

"Noel, calm down."

"…and you know what he said? He said, 'oh sorry, I didn't know you were a girl.' NOT A GIRL! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU CALL THESE?" She grabbed her own chest, "Are these just…are they not good enough for..." Noel mumbled something incomprehensible, and then began crying.

Colton Black immediately dumped out whatever beverage he had left in his shot glass. "C'mon kid, let's get you over to the couch."

"I just wanted to be a good girl, a good soldier." She mumbled as Colton led her over to a couch, "Why did you leave the Academy, Mr. Black? Why did that boy ignore me? Size doesn't matter right? Right?"

Colton learned a long time ago that trying to argue with a drunk person was an exercise in futility, so he just nodded and led her to the couch.

"See, I knew you would be nice like that." She giggled as Colton sighed. The girl was having more mood swings than an over-caffeinated six-year-old on a playground. "Thanks for everything you've done."

"Not a problem at all." Colton ran to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and pulled out a small pill, then filled a paper cup full of water before returning to Noel. "Here, take this, you'll probably need it now."

"Thanks Mister Black." Noel said in a sing-song voice, "Mmmm…you're so kind." She swallowed the pill and washed it down, then promptly fell asleep on the couch.

Colton Black shook his head. It was times like this that he truly reviled Sector Seven, but considering his part in the project a long time ago he didn't exactly have the moral high ground. He just happened to be head of security in the experimental lab at the time when the Library used a space-based Nox Nyctores to cut off the head of the Ikaruga Federation, killing several of his colleagues. He just thanked whatever deity existed at the time that some of his friends managed to survive, including the body of the 12th Anti-Sankishin Core Unit, but the thought of the experiments that those damned scientists performed on that little girl disgusted him. He had no clue what happened to the other 11, nor did he know how they were making these units, but at least he was able to save this one from a similar fate. Leaving her on the doorstep of a high-class family seemed like the least he could do to make up for his own misfortune.

Colton wondered if he should tell Noel the truth when she woke up soon. He wondered if she even dreamed. Hey, do robots dream of electric sheep? Someone asked him that question awhile ago, he could never figure out what it meant and just chalked it up to some sort of new-age koan. Instead, he walked into his study and looked at his cork board. Several index cards with notes scribbled on them were thumbtacked onto the board. Photos and long pieces of string connected the various bits of information he had picked up working for Sector Seven and then as a double agent for the Library. There was some sort of conspiracy afoot within the highest levels of the Library, and Colton had a feeling he was getting close. That could explain why that snake who ran the Intelligence Department decided to send someone after him. But why send Noel to question him? She wasn't skilled in interrogation at all, and it didn't make sense.

[A/N: French language written with help of Google Translate. I can do a modest Spanish translation, and even a tiny bit of Arabic, but I have not studied French. So if there were any errors in those few French sentences I apologize.]